The plan has come together. In the Jan. '11 HRM we launched the makeover of an ugly but solid '79 Z28, and subsequently we've done a drivetrain swap, painted it, hopped up the suspension, and remade the interior. Now, the results.

2/8Special thanks to the gang at Diversified Creations for making the ’79 the most turnkey HOT ROD project car in memory.

First, a hardware refresher. The core of the project was GM Performance Parts' smog-legal E-Rod crate engine, a 6.2L LS3 like that in a '10 Corvette. A Hurst Driveline Conversions kit helped us install a Tremec T56 Magnum six-speed with ratios nearly identical to those in a '10 Camaro, and the 3.73 gears in the new Strange 9-inch rear also match the Camaro's drive ratio; the diff is a Detroit Truetrac. The chassis carries a Hotchkis Sport Suspension TVS System that includes springs, control arms, antiroll bars, and shackles, and we added Hotchkis subframe connectors and underhood stiffening Handlebars. The shocks are the new electronically switchable, two-mode Select Series from Ridetech, and the blueprinted steering box is from PSC Motorsports. Wilwood's 13-inch disc brakes and six-piston calipers are behind 17x8 and 17x9.5 LT-III wheels by Team III. The tires are Continental Extreme Contacts in 245/40ZR17 and 285/40ZR17. Everything was assembled by Diversified Creations in Brighton, Michigan, and the paint was done after hours by enthusiasts at EDAG Inc. in Auburn Hills.

It's kinda cold to list the stuff that way, but when you wrap a bunch of parts into a car and drive them down the road, they create a mechanical life. That life was intended for daily driving and occasional track days, and that's how we've used it. The best parts of the package revealed themselves almost instantly (and are in ranked order of our passion): the Tremec six-speed, the LS3 powerplant, the Vintage Air Frontrunner and air conditioning system, and the Hotchkis suspension.

3/8This is where it all started, with an original-owner Z28 with one repaint despite its low mileage; it had something under 100,000, though we don’t recall the exact number. Some say we should have stuck with the Wink mirror. Our before-and-after testing was done by Nick Licata and Jason Scudellari of Camaro Performers magazine.

The trans is called a T56 Magnum, Tremec's aftermarket version of the TR-6060, as seen in new Camaros. With the Hurst shifter, it is absolute bliss. We can't spell out any data that justifies our love—it's just that the thing feels great. The snick of the shifter into each gear is just right, the ratios are spot on, and we've been unable to generate a failure after lots of bangshifting. We have no problem flatfooting the gear changes. This trans swap rules. We've had only two issues with it. First, the rear seal fell out, the result of the driveshaft being slightly too long so the radius on the yoke grabbed the seal's integral boot and pulled it out. A razor blade solved that problem. Second, after repeated dragstrip abuse, the hot clutch slips when the 100hp Zex nitrous is applied.

The engine is rated at 430 hp, but guys are seeing 360 to 400 hp on chassis dynos. It's really a sweet package, with just-right power for a daily driver. It idles at 700 rpm and revs to 6,500. It's almost embarrassingly quiet. We should have listened to Matt Graves at Cherry Bomb when he recommended the company's tiny Extreme mufflers instead of the larger, welded Pro series that we used. With four catalytic converters, it's too tame for big muffs, even with 3-inch pipes.

4/8Here’s one of the Ridetech Select Series shocks, which are switchable between cruise and sport modes via a console-mounted button. They use spherical-bearing ends that are different than stock, requiring custom brackets that are a very tight fit between the leaf spring and the brake caliper on the driver side, and Hotchkis helped us sort out the problem of an interference that had let the nitrogen out of the shocks. With that cured, our previously mentioned wheelhop problem was gone.

We've never before had air conditioning on an old car that we've driven at length, and it's really great. The Vintage Air Frontrunner setup took all hassles out of the accessory drive and reduced the eyesore and complexity that we presumed the compressor would bring. The Frontrunner is expensive, but recommended, as is the air conditioning, which has the benefit of a defroster. We've never had a muscle car that didn't require a rag during winter months for wiping fog off the inside of the windshield as we drove. The Vintage Air kit also has a blend feature for temperature control.

Finally, the suspension. We wrongly blamed the Hotchkis leaf springs for wheelhop problems. At the Hotchkis shop, the real cause was revealed: The Ridetech Select Series shocks have a Schrader valve where they are factory charged with 250 psi of nitrogen. The design of our custom shock mounts allowed the leaf springs to hit the valves, bleeding the nitrogen and reducing the shock's performance. With new Select shocks installed by Hotchkis in revised mounts, the wheelhop is gone.

We feared that the handling-oriented suspension would be too harsh for the daily grind, but that's not the case. There's more road noise transmitted to the cabin than stock, but the ride is not jarring. The Select Series shocks aren't just a gimmick, either; the ride is notably more solid in sport mode, and more corner-happy. There's no bushing squeak, and the Hotchkis stance isn't so low that we plow driveways and speed bumps. We're careful of the easy-target front air dam, but otherwise we can drive it like a rental. The Continental tires are touring-oriented rather than sticky autocrossers, and they've been happy during many rain miles they've seen so far.

5/8The settings on the Select Series shocks actually make a difference. The sport mode was faster through the slalom and quicker from 60 to zero. The soft setting is seen here, allowing more dive than the sport valving. Simple tuning of the Wilwood proportioning valve helped us eliminate rear tire lockup.

Other things we like are the Auto Meter gauges and Pioneer audio. The gauges are the Competition Series with programmable warning lights that are kinda cool. The lights are so bright that we need to hook them to the dimmer so they don't blind us at night. The oil-temp gauge is a first for us, and it provides our favorite data these days. It's interesting to watch coolant and oil temps interact depending on weather and car abuse.

The Pioneer system has 6-inch rounds and tweeters in the doors, 6x9s on the deck, and two 10-inch subwoofers in the trunk. It thumps and is best suited to hip hop. To make it sound a little brighter, as we prefer, techs have advised facing the tweeters back at us from shoulder level.

6/8The Camaro is fun to slide around but lacks the steep steering angle required to really drift it. Our F-Bomb ’73 Camaro has the same issue, and it uses different brands of suspension and steering than this car. It’s a problem that needs sorting on both cars.

Another win is the Be Cool radiator with its integral shroud and fans. Regardless of abuse, the coolant runs between 200 and 220 degrees, right on the thermostat.

There are some downsides, too. We probably should not have ordered the aggressive, 12.7:1 ratio in the steering box. PSC Motorsports told us it would be quick, but we thought it would make us autocross heroes. The box and the suspension are so tight that you have to work a little to stay on center as you drive down the highway.

The stopping power is perfect. The pedal feel is not. Our first master cylinder had a 1 1⁄8-inch bore. Wilwood found a 7⁄8-incher to be superior, though the techs were not happy with our booster and pedal ratio that combined for too much pedal travel. On Wilwood's recommendation, we may convert to manual brakes.

7/8The E-Rod crate engine has been one of the stars of the show. It was installed with Holley engine mounts, a Spectre cold-air kit, a Vintage Air Frontrunner accessory drive, a Be Cool cooling module (radiator with an integral shroud and fans), and a Tremec trans kit from Hurst Driveline Conversions.

With the brake pedal low, it's awkward that the throttle pedal is high due to the controller attached to it for the fly-by-wire system. The GM pedal will always have that fitment challenge, so Lokar introduced a low-profile, fly-by-wire pedal for these swaps. Another quirk is that the distance between the Corbeau seats and the '79-style foam headliner isn't enough for anyone taller than 6 feet, especially with a helmet.

Finally, the worst part of the car is the paintjob—because it's so spectacular. It's the best paint on any HOT ROD project for 20 years, and we're afraid of it. The smoothness and the Planet Color Big Bad Orange is stunning, but every little chip and ding draws your eye. The Camaro now has enough rock chips and autocross cone rash that it's almost worn-in enough to seem like the daily driver that it is. Like we preach, what's the point if you can't use it?

8/8Inside and out, the restoration parts are from Classic Industries. Here you can see the Corbeau LG1 racing seats and harnesses, the Lecarra Mark 4 GT steering wheel, and some of the Pioneer audio system.